Having comfortably topped the domestic box office this weekend with a surprisingly robust $40 million haul while handily soaring past $220 million globally, most insiders and analysts are predicting that it’s only a matter of time before Dune: Part Two is given the official go-ahead to start ramping up pre-production.
WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff teased that the second half of the epic literary adaptation is definitely on the cards, while rumors inevitably offered that Warner Bros. had approved the follow up before the opener had even come to theaters and HBO Max. As it turns out, those reports are entirely wide of the mark when the final decision on Dune: Part Two isn’t even up to the studio.
As per Variety, it’s production company Legendary Pictures who own the film rights to the property, and they co-financed the $165 million blockbuster with WB, as well as overseeing development. Technically, the outfit could plow ahead on Part Two and auction off the distribution rights to another studio, although that does seem highly unlikely.
Warner Bros. and Legendary have been partners for a long time, and while there were tales of behind the scenes discontent over Godzilla vs. Kong‘s release, there’s no reason why the two Hollywood powerhouses wouldn’t continue to combine forces if and when Villenueve’s Dune: Part Two is confirmed.